When Tom asked the beautiful blonde haired soon to-be teacher-coach to marry him, Kerry made him promise they would never leave the United States of America. A year after Allen’s passing, Tom began to feel a tug towards ACO. Not one to break his word, he started praying with his accountability partner daily. Kerry was concerned for Tom’s good friend, since they were talking so often and asked if there was anything she could do to help? He confessed his longing to Kerry and, “Fortunately,” as Tom tells the story “my wife loves me but adores Jesus. We’ll there’s that, and she’s never met a challenge she didn’t want to dominate.”

When they arrived in Kenya, African Christian Outreach was a small organization with only a couple of staff members working on two university campuses. Today, ACO served as the overall mission organization, comprising of six different ministries that cooperatively serve across ten East African countries. Driven by Jesus' words in Matthew 22, Tom is committed to loving his neighbors at ACO by engaging, equipping, and empowering East Africans. He believes in developing a dynamic generation that prioritizes love, drives positive change, and contributes to a brighter future. ACO has recognized the universal command of Jesus to "love your neighbor".